The US based poker pros featured Phil Ivey, Tom Dwan, John Juanda, and Chau Giang along with Johnny Chan, Ted Forrest and Jeffrey Lisandro. The Chinese businessmen were shrouded in secrecy. Local high stakes gambling custom and Chinese preference for discretion have kept a tight lid on their identities and motivations. They represent the business elite of China that have greatly prospered the last decade from the world's strongest growing economy. The massive sums needed to play are seen as learning opportunities for a poker scene that has only been around a couple years. The various businessmen are no strangers to gambling, as many are former high stakes baccarat players.
Why these games are generating such interest is no surprise. Some of the world's best and most recognized poker players fly into the biggest gambling hot spot in the world and engage in bigger than usual high stakes cash games with some shadowy anonymous group of businessmen. As fans, we get to root for favorite player, or secretly root their demise. The tales of the ridiculous stakes, as high as $4k/$8 blinds in Tom Dwan's current heads up match, and millions won and lost captivate the poker pro and casual fan alike. As the poker world has adapted to a tougher playing environment that last few years, news of a new loose less experienced market to conquer excites poker players everywhere. Additional poker pros have heard of this weeks games and made the trek over to Macau to join in, including Sam Tricket and other respected players.
“These guys are not complete fish. They have been playing poker for two years and they have improved a lot. Playing against them means that you are constantly under pressure. They like to over bet the pot and sometimes you just don’t have a strong enough hand to call,” he said.
“I was playing at the Venetian a few days ago with a friend and a Chinese businessman showed up with two bodyguards. He challenged me to a heads-up match and I accepted. I am probably ten times a better player than he is, but I ended up losing a lot of money.”
“At these kinds of stakes, it is not a question of who is the better player anymore. It is a question of whether you have the guts to put your chips into the pot and take a chance against them. They have a lot of money, and to them, losing HK$5 million or HK$10 million is nothing – they treat this money as ‘tuition fees’. They flew down from Beijing and Shanghai with HK$10 million each just because they heard that Phil Ivey was here, and they wanted to play against him. I don’t think any professional poker player can lose HK$10 million and walk out with a smile on their face.”
Yu further commented “Even I can’t get into some of these games,” said Yu, who is known as a high-stakes cash game regular in Macau. “But the businessmen like playing against Tom because he gives action. He is in almost every pot. They would prefer to play against him heads-up than say Phil Ivey.”
Yu continues “This guy (the Chinese businessman) has been playing poker in Macau for two years and has lost around HK$100 million in total. But playing against these guys isn’t easy. They can really do serious damage to you. They overbet every pot and really put you under a lot of pressure.” One special condition on the Dwan heads up match - at the end of every hand, both players have to show their cards, whether there was a showdown or not.
I recall my first exposure to high stakes games in 2007 when Brian Townsend took on Sammy Farha in Bobby's room at the Bellagio. It was a classic match-up of a top Internet whiz kid pitted against the old time action gambler. I was reporting results on CardRunners for members, but it was soon squashed as it was considered bad etiquette. You don't openly crow when you win, or complain when you lose. In fact, reporting any results is generally frowned upon. It is a private world of high stakes degeneracy. The poker clubs protect that privacy to ensure their clientele the best possible environment for them to keep playing. Millions are exchanged as bluffs and value bets make their way across the felt. Hanging on every drip of information, rumor or story, the poker world marvels at the players audacity and panache.
Who will return from Macau as confirmed big winners or as vanquished losers only time will tell.
Source:Ballermagazine
